Personnel: Elton John (vocals, piano, harpsichord); Colin Green, Alan Parker, Roland Harker, Alan Weighll, Caleb Quaye (guitar); Frank Clark (acoustic guitar, acoustic bass guitar); Clive Hicks (12-string guitar); Skaila Kanga (harp); Paul Buckmaster (cello); Brian Dee (organ); Diana Lewis (Moog synthesizer); Dave Richmond, Les Hurdie (bass instrument); Terry Cox, Barry Morgan (drums); Dennis Lopez, Tex Navarra (percussion).
Liner Note Author: Gus Dudgeon.
Recording information: Trident Studios, London, England (01/1970).
Elton John's second album was his first to be released in the U.S., and the difference between it and its predecessor, EMPTY SKY, is palpable and immediate. ELTON JOHN opens with "Your Song," a halting ballad that is one of the most moving love songs in the modern pop canon. The album also marks John's fruitful association with Gus Dudgeon and arranger Paul Buckmaster (who'd previously collaborated on David Bowie's "Space Oddity"). The team came up with a spare orchestral sound that surrounds the singer and his piano with dashes of both classical and rock guitar, synthesizers, carefully arranged drums, and searing strings.
This wasn't all-out pop yet, but rather a striking and singular brand of folk-rock. "Take Me To The Pilot" shows flashes of John's rocking future ("Bennie And The Jets" descended from it), "No Shoe Strings On Louise" is Rolling Stonesy country-rock, and "Sixty Years On" is haunting and memorable. More typical for this session is "I Need You To Turn To," another love song that finds lyricist Bernie Taupin in an unusually direct mode, and features a beautiful harpsichord melody from John. ELTON JOHN cast the mold for the singer's future superstardom.
Professional Reviews
Q (8/95, pp.143-145) - 3 Stars - Good - "...an accomplished diverse collection of...sophisticated material..."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.122) - "The hit single 'Your Song,' still his signature, the gospel-influenced 'Border Song' and the deep meditation 'Sixty Years On' all posited Elton as a most serious singer-songwriter."
Record Collector (magazine) (p.95) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Here the listener gets a more focused idea of Elton's craft as a tunesmith, the subtle nuances of his chord structures marking him out as an innovative talent."
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Reviews
– Customer review on 29/09/2008
This, Elton John's second album contains some absolutely classics, such as "Your Song" and "Take Me to the Pilot". And, while at this stage in his career, John was already a very talanted composer and performer, except for a few exceptions, the rest of the album just can't compare to the standard set by the best songs. Many of the songs are unfocused and unmemorable, and the album as a whole is overlong. This is an interesting artifact of the young performer who would become a superstar, but today there isn't all that much here to enjoy.
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